Road haulage will surge ahead by an annual average of 9.5%. Inland waterway traffic will rise by an annual average of 6.0% as bottlenecks are removed from the Danube.

The news on everyone’s mind this week is the economy and how it will affect the transportation industry. While the outlook for Romania appears to be good, what about here in North America? Unfortunately the news of late has been largely negative.

The situation has some refiners in the distribution chain allocating supplies to various customers, and that’s causing carriers considerable hardship, particularly in terms of delivery problems and issues, the Alberta Motor Transport Association said Wednesday.

Investors also reacted to specific credit concerns within the trucking industry, which is suffering from weak demand and poor pricing. Analysts suggest that the tough times will get worse before they get better, as fuel prices and overcapacity add to the burden.

Though much of the news appears gloomy, there’s some bright linings as well. While fuel costs continue to be a prime concern for those in the industry, some loosening appears to be set to continue:

The EIA also said that although oil prices are expected to be up slightly on average next year, on-highway diesel fuel retail prices are projected to average $3.91 per gallon in 2009, down from a projected $4.01 per gallon in 2008.

Recent uShip Stories

Fall provides for cooler weather and beautiful scenery as the leaves start fading from green to shades of orange, yellow, and red. What better way to experience this once-a-year occurrence than on a motorcycle? Here are a few user stories from this week of users who have taken advantage of the uShip marketplace to get their motorcycles transported.

User bustermcm wanted to get his motorcycle from his brother. Only problem: all of the quotes he received were too much for his budget. Turning to uShip allowed him to be put in touch with CertifiedPilotCars and save over $200 on motorcycle shipping:

All the quotes I had gotten were for $600 and more. But a friend of mine turned me onto USHIP and man was that the stuff!! Now I have my motorcycle and at a reasonable rate and with great service!! All because of USHIP I will never move again without first getting a bid from USHIP!!

Viragoship was so disappointed with the quotes he had been given before uShip that he considered flying out and picking up his bike himself. After turning to uShip and PDshipping, he found that he could find motorcycle transport for only $250:

It was a great experience. The bike arrived on time, in great shape, and the way everything was handled, including communication, couldn’t have been better. I wound up paying $250, which was cheaper and a whole lot easier than going to get it, myself. And now I can brush up on my riding skills in the safety of my own neighborhood.

uShip user Slonishku is differently situated than most. He’s stationed overseas with the military and needs to find TSPs that he not only trusts to complete the shipments professionally, but who also make the shipment easy for a shipper stationed overseas. He has so far found two excellent motorcycle transporters through uShip:

Not only were each of my transactions simple and easy, the shippers beat the prices of the big companies by hundreds of dollars each. So let’s see… easy, reliable, convenient and personable, OR, expensive, difficult, inconvenient service provided by cheap labor… It’s a no-brainer: I’ll stick with the little guys I find on uShip every time! Steve (PapoSteve) and Jett (jettcycleshop) both did great jobs at prices the big shippers couldn’t come close to. uShip made it all possible. Thanks!

As always, we would love to hear your thoughts on the recent transportation news or your suggestions for great transportation stories. Leave your thoughts in the comments and let us know what you think.

Transportation News for Oct. 4 – Oct. 10 was last modified: July 9th, 2013 by uShip